The "dead zone" of the Gulf of Mexico | Nancy Rabalais

翻译人员: Zehan Ma 校对人员: Howel Wang

Good evening, welcome to New Orleans.

晚上好，欢迎来到新奥尔良。

I don't know if you knew this,

我不知道你们是否了解，

but you are sitting within 15 minutes of one of the largest rivers in the world:

离在座各位15分钟路程之内 是世界上最长的河流之一：

the Mississippi river.

密西西比河。

Old Man River, Big Muddy.

又称老人河，或大泥泞。

And it goes as far north as the state of Minnesota,

北达明尼苏达州，

as far east as the state of New York,

东达纽约州，

as far west as Montana.

西达蒙大拿。

And 100 miles from here, river miles,

在距离这100英里的地方，

it empties its fresh water and sediments into the Gulf of Mexico.

它的淡水与沉积物， 全部流入到墨西哥湾。

That's the end of Geography 101.

好了，地理问答到此结束。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now we're going to go to what is in that water.

现在我们要来讲讲水里有什么。

Besides the sediment, there are dissolved molecules, nitrogen and phosphorus.

除了沉积物之外， 一些微粒、氮和磷都溶解在水里。

And those, through a biological process,

这些物质经由生物学上的变化，

lead to the formation of areas called dead zones.

形成了所谓的“死亡区”。

Now, dead zone is a quite ominous word

如果你是鱼或者螃蟹的话，

if you're a fish or a crab.

死亡区就是个很不吉利的词。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Even a little worm in the sediments.

甚至是沉积物中的一只小虫子。

Which means that there's not enough oxygen

我的意思是， 水里没有足够的氧气，

for those animals to survive.

供这些动物们生存。

So, how does this happen?

所以，这个问题是怎么发生的呢？

The nitrogen and the phosphorus

氮和磷，

stimulate the growth of microscopic plants called phytoplankton.

促进了一种叫做 浮游植物的微观植物的生长。

And small animals called zooplankton eat the phytoplankton,

叫做浮游动物的小生物吃浮游植物，

small fish eat the zooplankton, large fish eat the small fish

小鱼吃浮游动物，大鱼吃小鱼，

and it goes on up into the food web.

由此形成了整个食物网。

The problem is that there's just too much nitrogen and phosphorus right now,

问题在于，现在有太多的氮和磷，

too much phytoplankton falling to the bottom

太多的浮游植物沉入水底，

and decomposed by bacteria that use up the oxygen.

被细菌分解的过程中耗尽了氧气。

That's the biology.

这是从生物学的角度来说。

Now, you can't see it from the surface of the water,

现在，你在水面上看不到死亡区，

you can't see it in satellite images,

在卫星图片上也看不到，

so how do we know it's there?

所以我们怎么知道它的存在呢？

Well, a trawler can tell you,

渔船的捕鱼人就能告诉你，

when she puts her net over the side and drags for 20 minutes

当她撒网并拖行20分钟

and comes up empty,

仍然一无所获的时候，

that she knows she's in the dead zone.

她就明白它在死亡区了。

And she has to go somewhere else.

而她必须去其他地方。

But where else do you go if this area is 8,000 square miles big?

但是，如果这片区域有 8000平方英里大，还能去哪里呢？

About the size of the state of New Jersey.

大概和新泽西州差不多大。

Well, you either make a decision to go further,

所以，你要么决定去更远的地方，

without much economic return,

而没有太多经济报酬，

or go back to the dock.

要么就回到码头。

As a scientist, I have access to high-tech equipment

作为一名科学家， 我曾经使用高科技设备，

that we can put over the side of the research vessel,

我们把设备放置在考察船的一侧，

它就能测量出氧气含量 和许多其他数据。

and it measures oxygen and many more things.

We start at the Mississippi River,

我们从密西西比河开始，

we crisscross the Gulf of Mexico all the way to Texas,

穿过墨西哥湾， 一直到德克萨斯州，

and even I sneak into Texas every now and then and test their waters.

我有时甚至溜进德州， 测量一下他们的水体。

And you can tell by the bottom oxygen --

通过水底氧气就可以判断出——

you can draw a map of everything that's less than two,

你可以画张地图， 记录所有数量小于2的东西，

which is the magic number for when the fish start to leave the area.

这个魔力的数字代表着， 鱼类开始离开这片区域的地方。

I also dive in this dead zone.

我也会潜入这个死亡区。

We have oxygen meters that we have to deploy offshore

我们有氧气测量仪， 但必须要离岸才能部署，

氧气测量仪会持续地告诉我们 氧气含量是高是低。

that tell us continuous measurements of low oxygen or high oxygen.

And when you get into the water, there's a lot of fish.

而当你刚进入水中的时候， 会发现很多鱼，

Tons of fish, all kinds of fish,

数不清的鱼，各种各样的鱼，

including my buddy here, the barracuda that I saw one day.

包括我的伙计， 我之前遇到的一条梭鱼。

Everybody else swam this way and I went this way with my camera.

我带着我的相机 跟它们朝一个方向游。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And then, down at 30 feet you start to see fewer fish.

然后，在水深30英尺的地方， 你看到的鱼开始变少了。

And then you get to the bottom.

而当你到达水底的时候，

And you don't see any fish.

一条鱼也看不到。

There's no life on the platform, there's no life swimming around.

在海底上没有任何生命， 更没有生物在周围游动。

And you know you're in the dead zone.

然后你就知道，你已身在死亡区了。

So, what's the connection between the middle of the United States

所以，美国中部与墨西哥湾之间

and the Gulf of Mexico?

有什么联系呢？

Well, most of the watershed is farmland.

大部分流域都布满农田。

And in particular, corn-soybean rotation.

尤其是玉米与大豆的轮种田。

The nitrogen that is put in fertilizers and the phosphorus goes on the land

肥料中的氮和磷成分进入土地，

and drains off into the Mississippi River

然后排出到密西西比河中，

and ends up in the Gulf of Mexico.

最后进入墨西哥湾。

There's three times more nitrogen in the water

现在密西西比河水的氮含量，

in the Mississippi now,

是以前的3倍，

than there was in the 1950s.

与上世纪50年代相比。

Three times.

3倍啊。

And phosphorus has doubled.

而磷含量则是以前的两倍。

And what that means is more phytoplankton and more sinking sails and lower oxygen.

这意味着更多的浮游植物、 更多的沉船、更低的含氧量。

This is not a natural feature of the Gulf; it's been caused by human activities.

这不是墨西哥湾的自然特征； 这是人类活动导致的。

The landscape is not what it used to be.

风景也与以前大不一样。

It used to be prairies and forests and prairie potholes

这里以前是草原、 森林、草原坑洞、

and duck areas and all kinds of stuff.

也是鸭子栖息地等地方。

But not anymore -- it's row crops.

但现在不再是这些地方了， 这里现在是行栽作物的区域。

And there are ways that we can address this type of agriculture

我们有许多方式 解决这类农业问题，

by using less fertilizer, maybe precision fertilizing.

比如减少化肥使用， 或许选择精准施肥。

And trying some sustainable agriculture

还可以尝试一些可持续农业的方法，

such as perennial wheatgrass, which has much longer roots

比如种植多年生麦草， 因为它们的根系更加强壮，

than the six inches of a corn plant,

比6英寸的玉米根还要长，

that can keep the nitrogen on the soil and keep the soil from running off.

这些根能够保存土壤中的氮， 并且防止土壤的流失。

And how do we convince our neighbors to the north,

而我们要怎样说服我们北边的邻居，

maybe 1,000 miles away or more,

那些住在1000英里开外的邻居， 让他们相信，

that their activities are causing problems with water quality in the Gulf of Mexico?

他们的活动 导致墨西哥湾的水质出现问题？

First of all, we can take them to their own backyard.

首先，我们可以把他们 带到他们的后院。

If you want to go swimming in Wisconsin in the summer

如果你想在威斯康星州的夏天 在你最喜爱的水坑里

in your favorite watering hole,

游泳的话，

you might find something like this

你可能会发现些像这样的东西，

which looks like spilled green paint and smells like it,

它们看起来就像 溢出来的绿油漆，闻起来也像，

growing on the surface of the water.

在水面上生长。

This is a toxic blue-green algal bloom

这是一种有毒的蓝绿色藻花，

and it is not good for you.

这对身体有害。

Similarly, in Lake Erie, couple of summers ago

与之相似的， 几年前的夏天，

there was hundreds of miles of this blue-green algae

伊利湖有上百英里这样的蓝绿色海藻，

and the city of Toledo, Ohio, couldn't use it for their drinking water

导致俄亥俄州的托莱多市， 连续数日

for several days on end.

不能将其作为饮用水饮用。

And if you watch the news,

你如果看新闻的话就会知道，

you know that lots of communities are having trouble with drinking water.

那时有很多社区 都面临着饮用水无法饮用问题。

I'm a scientist.

我是一名科学家。

I don't know if you could tell that.

我不知道你们能不能看得出来。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And I do solid science, I publish my results,

我进行了严谨的科学研究， 发表了研究结果，

my colleagues read them, I get citations of my work.

我的同事们会去研读， 我的成果也会被引用。

But I truly believe that, as a scientist,

但是我坚实地相信，作为一名

using mostly federal funds to do the research,

主要用联邦资金进行研究的科学家，

I owe it to the public,

这些成就应归功于社会工作，

to agency heads and congressional people

机构负责人，国会议员们，

to share my knowledge with them

我应该将这些知识分享给他们。

so they can use it, hopefully to make better decisions

希望他们利用这些知识， 制定出更好的

about our environmental policy.

环境政策。

(Applause)

（掌声）

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）

One of the ways that I was able to do this is I brought in the media.

为了实现这一目的， 我能做的一件事是借助媒体的力量。

And Joby Warrick from the "Washington Post"

《华盛顿邮报》的乔比·瓦里克，

put this picture in an article

把这张照片放在一篇文章中，

on the front page, Sunday morning, two inches above the fold.

刊登在了周日早晨的头版， 距离中折线2英寸的地方。

That's a big deal.

这是一件了不起的事。

And Senator John Breaux, from Louisiana,

来自路易斯安那州的参议员 约翰·布鲁说：

said, "Oh my gosh, that's what they think the Gulf of Mexico looks like?"

“我的天，他们觉得墨西哥湾 看起来是这样的？”

And I said, "Well, you know, there's the proof."

我说：“是的，这就是证据。”

And we've go to do something about it.

我们必须要为此做些什么。

At the same time, Senator Olympia Snowe from Maine

与此同时，来自缅因州的 奥林匹亚·斯诺威议员，

was having trouble with harmful algal blooms in the Gulf of Maine.

正在处理缅因湾的 有害藻花问题。

They joined forces -- it was bipartisan --

他们二人协力合作——两党都支持——

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（掌声）

And invited me to give congressional testimony,

并且邀请我去国会作证，

and I said, "Oh, all I've done is chase crabs around south Texas,

我说：“哦，我一直做的不过是 在德州南部追螃蟹，

I don't know how to do that."

我不知道怎么作证。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

但我还是去了。

But I did it.

（欢呼声）

(Cheers)

最终，法案通过了，

And eventually, the bill passed.

And it was called -- yeah, yay!

它被称作——是的，太好了！

It was called The Harmful Algal Bloom

它被称作，

1998年有害藻花及低氧研究控制法案。

and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998.

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（掌声）

Thank you.

谢谢。

Which is why we call it the Snowe-Breaux Bill.

这也是为什么我们把它叫做 “斯诺威-布鲁法案”。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

The other thing is that we had a conference in 2001

另一件事是， 我们在2001年开了一次会议，

that was put on by the National Academy of Sciences

会议由美国国家科学院举办，

that looked at fertilizers, nitrogen and poor water quality.

主要探讨了肥料， 氮和水质恶化问题。

Our plenary speaker was the former governor

我们的发言代表是新泽西州的，

of the state of New Jersey.

前任州长。

And she ...

她……

There was no thinking she wasn't serious when she peered at the audience,

当她凝视观众的时候， 没人质疑她不是严肃的，

and I thought, "Surely she's looking at me."

然后我想：“她一定是在看我。”

"You know, I'm really tired of this thing being called New Jersey.

“你知道，我真的讨厌听到 新泽西州的这个名字，

Pick another state, any state, I just don't want to hear it anymore."

换一个州，任何州都行， 我真的不想再听到新泽西了。”

But she was able to move the action plan

但是她能够把行动计划

across President George H.W. Bush's desk

放在布什总统的办公桌上，

so that we had environmental goals

使得我们树立起环境保护目标，

and that we were working to solve them.

并为实现目标努力去解决问题。

The Midwest does not feed the world.

中西部地区不能养活全世界。

It feeds a lot of chickens, hogs, cattle

但它能饲养很多鸡、猪、牛，

and it generates ethanol

并生产出，

加入汽油中的乙醇，

to put into our gasoline,

which is regulated by federal policy.

这是按联邦政策进行管理的。

We can do better than this.

我们可以做得更好。

We need to make decisions

我们需要做出决定，

that make us less consumptive

为了减少消耗，

and reduce our reliance on nitrogen.

降低我们对于氮的依赖。

It's like a carbon footprint.

就像是碳足迹一样。

But you can reduce your nitrogen footprint.

但你可以减少你的氮足迹。

I do it by not eating much meat --

我的方法是少吃些肉——

I still like a little every now and then --

当然我还是喜欢偶尔吃一点；

not using corn oil,

不使用玉米油；

driving a car that I can put nonethanol gas in

驾驶支持非乙醇汽油的汽车，

and get better gas mileage.

这样还可以节省汽油，走的更远。

Just things like that that can make a difference.

像这样的小事， 就能够让情况变得不同。

So I'm challenging, not just you,

所以，我要呼吁的， 不仅是在座各位，

but I challenge a lot of people, especially in the Midwest --

还有许许多多的， 尤其是在中西部的人们——

think about how you're treating your land and how you can make a difference.

想想你们是怎样对待你们的土地的， 而你们又该如何做出改变。

So my steps are very small steps.

我所迈出的，只是小步。

To change the type of agriculture in the US

而想要改变美国的农业类型，

is going to be many big steps.

还需要走许多大步。

And it's going to take political and social will for that to happen.

这需要政界与社会多方面的帮助。

But we can do it.

虽然难，但我们可以做到。

I strongly believe we can translate the science,

我坚定地相信， 我们可以将科学转化为

bridge it to policy and make a difference in our environment.

架起它与政策之间的桥梁， 然后改善我们的环境。

We all want a clean environment.

我们都渴望洁净的环境。

And we can work together to do this

我们需要齐心协力实现这个目标，

so that we no longer have these dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico.

这样，我们的墨西哥湾， 就不会再有死亡区了。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）